Appetites: Braised beans make a hearty, versatile meal for chilly days

After a long holiday season filled with sugary sweets, you may be looking for a meal that’s both hearty and filling. Award-winning cookbook author Beth Dooley suggests putting beans on your grocery list.

“They’re a wonderful plant-based protein,” she said. “They’re not going to make you feel like you’re weighed down."

High in fiber, low in calories and loaded with nutrients, beans have a long shelf-life that makes them great to keep in the pantry during the winter months.

Dooley shared her tips for preparing beans on Appetites with MPR News host Tom Crann. Her Braised Dark Greens and Beans recipe is below. 

To listen to her conversation with MPR News host Tom Crann, click the player above.

Braised Dark Greens and Beans

Serves about 4

A hearty side dish or satisfying vegetarian meal. This is delicious served over pasta or rice with a dusting of grated Parmesan cheese and plenty of crusty bread to mop up the garlicky sauce. Here, we’ve used chickpeas, but cannellini work beautifully, too. 

Olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 tablespoon parsley

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

5 cloves garlic, smashed

Generous pinch salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Generous pinch red pepper flakes, to taste

2 large bunches Swiss chard, stems removed, and sliced into ribbons

2 15-ounce cans chickpeas or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 ½ to 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

Fresh lemon juice, to taste

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Fill a Dutch oven or large deep skillet with oil, set over medium-high heat and add the onion, parsley, thyme, garlic and a generous pinch of salt, pepper and red pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring, until tender and then add the chard by the handful, cooking and stirring until the leaves begin to wilt.

Stir in the beans and just enough stock to cover 1/3 of the vegetables. Season to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook, mashing some of the beans with a wooden spoon, until the liquid has reduced and thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve garnished with the cheese. 

• Retro holiday recipes with a modern twist, from a Minnesota chef
• Appetites investigates: Was Chicago Mix actually invented in Minnesota?
• Thanksgiving recipes from Minnesota’s best culinary minds